You Don’t Have To … You GET To! Moxie On Monday

Palm Springs, CA

What’s the easiest way to begin your mornings with Moxie? By becoming aware of the power of your words.

Do your mornings begin with a litany of “I have to’s?” I have to get up. I have to go to work. I have to get the kids to school. I have to work out. I have to catch up on social media. You get the picture.

I know mine sure have…until recently.

I was taking an evening class. It was a Science of Mind Course centered around prosperity. On the last evening of class, Dr. Moira, our instructor, asked us to become aware every time we began a thought or a sentence with “I have to.” The idea was to question ourselves – to question our language.

“I have to” implies a duty, a responsibility. It also means you’re telling yourself that you have no choice. You’re powerless. But, the truth is you’re not.

Reframing our language is one of the quickest ways to reframe our life. What if you don’t “have to” do that particular something…you don’t have to walk the dog, you get to walk the dog…you don’t have to go to yoga class, you get to go to yoga class…you don’t have to go to work, you get to go to work!

When we tell ourselves that “we have” to do something, our brain automatically interprets that as a negative. There’s instant resistance. Over time, this can lead to a feeling of dread.

When we change our language to a positive reframe, “I get to,” we instantly remove the resistance, the pressure…we also remove the negative frame and add positive energy to our intention. Our daily life becomes a reward!

It wasn’t long ago that I was extremely limited in what I could do on a certain day.

Today, that’s not the case. There aren’t any limits on what I can do. There are only limits on what I tell myself I can do.

When we replace “I have to” with “I get to,” we shift from a space of negativity to one of gratitude. We begin to see life through a new lens, a lens filled with an endless possibility of choices to fill our days.

Haven’t you had that experience of complaining about your job? Dreading your job? And, then, one day you lose that job only to wish you had it back. You begin to think about the job you lost in a new way. You miss your co-workers. You miss the income. You miss your favorite coffee shop you would visit on your way to work. You miss getting dressed up in the morning with a purpose. How about that relationship you complained about? That boyfriend who wasn’t quite good enough? The one who found a new girlfriend only for you to see him through a new set of eyes…eyes that were more like the rose-colored lenses you peered through when you first met. You look back on the relationship in a whole new way. You miss those mornings you would wake up in his arms. You miss the weekends where you would hang out and watch movies on the sofa. You miss having someone to hold you on those difficult days…a shoulder to cry on…a safe space to land. You get the picture.

I sense we’ve all had those moments in our lives. Moments that rocked our world. Moments that shifted from an “Ugh…I have to” to an Oprah Aha, “Yahoo…lucky me…I get to!”

Life is really simple. It’s us humans who make it all kooky and complicated. Life is what we make of it.

The glass is half full or half empty. It’s the same glass.

Life is half full or half empty.

Life is a series of moments.

When we string together a life filled with “I GET TO!” moments, our lives begin to look differently. We begin to feel differently. We shift our energy. We fill our life with Moxie.